Karen Wright: Celebrating with a favourite tasty meal

Last weekend it was my husband John’s birthday, my granddaughter Silke’s birthday and her dad Finn’s birthday plus my cousin Anne, who I have not seen for years, was having a seventieth party too. Silke lives in Brighton so this year we celebrated over a facetime chat as we had decided to accept the invitation to Anne’s party.

The party was held in the Hayloft at Farmer Copley's, and it was a perfect room for the event. Light and airy with those big circular tables with white cloths, sparkling glassware and a buffet that was second to none. I was really pleased we were invited, and we had a long overdue catchup with my cousins from my father’s side of the family.

My husband didn’t fancy going out for his birthday this year and instead asked if I could make him one of his favourite meals: the classic sausage and mash. I was more than happy to oblige but I did want to jazz it up a bit and make it a bit snazzier for his special day. We called at Blacker Hall Farm shop as they had a ‘sausage deal weekend’ and I bought Cumberland sausages as well as a bottle of Yorkshire stout and a couple of huge portobello mushrooms.

I wanted to serve the sausages and mash with a rich, dark gravy so this is what I did. I browned the sausages in a little oil and then removed them to a plate. I sliced up an onion and added it to the pan, cooking the onion on a low heat to start the caramelisation process, which gives super flavour. Then I chopped up the mushrooms and added them to the pan, allowing them to wilt down and offer up their dark juices. I sprinkled over a tablespoon of flour and then stirred in a dollop of wholegrain mustard. After cooking this for a minute, I poured in half the bottle of stout and simmered this for a couple of minutes. I then returned the sausages to the pan for a further ten minutes. Then I seasoned everything with salt and pepper and served the sausage and gravy over creamy mashed potato. It was dark, rich and brooding, delicious and very autumnal!